WTAW - Interviews

This podcast contains comments from the September 25, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

College Station city council members hear about the continuing shortage of affordable homes for sale.

Local realtor Jodi Warner, representing the B-C-S regional association of realtors, reported during last Thursday's meeting (September 25) that there was still a shortage of homes for first time homebuyers.

August 2025 in College Station there were 135 closings, with a median price of $356,750. The median price was 2.2 percent higher from the same month last year. Less than 10 percent of sales involved homes priced under $200,000 dollars. There were 465 active listings, which is up 12.6 percent from the year before. There is 3.9 months of inventory and a home was on the market an average of 54 days.

August 2025 in Bryan the median price was $275,500. And more than half the home sales in Bryan were in the price range between $200,000 and $299,000 dollars.

August 2025 in Snook the median price was $294,800 with a 13 month inventory.

August 2025 in Navasota the median price was $232,000 with an inventory of 8.3 months.
Warner also shared sales information of homes in three College Station neighborhoods.

Pebble Creek neighborhood home sales had a median price of $657,500. The median price is down 1.9 percent from the year before.

Eastgate neighborhood home sales had a median price $641,800. The median price is up 36.5 percent from the year before.

Edelweiss neighborhood home sales had a median price of $355,000. The median price is up 53 percent from the year before.

This week's United Way of the Brazos Valley update features partner agency BVCASA.

This podcast contains comments from the September 25, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

The College Station city council is asked to decide where a new state historical marker will be located.

The council's unanimous decision at last Thursday's meeting (September 25) followed inconclusive results when council members were surveyed by the city's chief of staff, Ross Brady.

The location, as recommended by a member of the city's historical commission, will be at city hall's main entrance, opposite the existing building dedication plaque.

A citizen group submitted the marker request in 2022. The Texas State Historical Commission, which has final approval on the language, made that decision earlier this year.

The marker arrived in July, and it will be officially dedicated on October 20th, the day after the city's 87th birthday.

According to a city spokesman, this is the language of the marker:

IN 1831, RICHARD CARTER RECEIVED A GRANT OF 4,428 ACRES IN THE STEPHEN F. AUSTIN COLONY FROM THE MIXICAN GOVERNMENT. CARTER, HIS FAMILY, AND THEIR ENSLAVED PEOPLE WERE THE FIRST TO SETTLE THE LAND NOW WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF COLLEGE STATION.

IN 1871, PIONEER HARVEY MITCHELL WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN GETTING THE STATE’S FIRST PUBLIC INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING LOCATED IN BRAZOS COUNTY. AFTER THE AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE OF TEXAS (LATER TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY) OPENED IN 1876, THE HOUSTON AND TEXAS CENTRAL RAILROAD MADE REGULAR STOPS AT “COLLEGE STATION.” A POST OFFICE WITH THE SAME NAME OPENED IN 1877 WITH HENRY D. PARSONS AS THE FIRST POSTMASTER. THE COMMUNITY GREW ALONG WITH THE SCHOOL. IN AREAS SURROUNDING THE CAMPUS, A SMALL COMMERCIAL AREA BEGAN DEVELOPING IN THE NORTHGATE AREA, PLATTED NEIGHBORHOODS PROVIDED HOUSING AND CHURCH STREET BECAME HOME FOR MANY CONGREGATIONS.

BY A VOTE OF 217 TO 39, THE COMMUNITY INCORPORATED AS THE CITY OF COLLEGE STATION IN 1938. THE FIRST ELECTED COUNCIL, A MAYOR AND FIVE ALDERMEN, WERE ALL FACULTY MEMBERS FROM TEXAS A&M. THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP OF TEXAS A&M FACULTY MEMBERS SUCH AS LONGTIME MAYOR ERNEST LANGFORD (1942-1966), AND A&M PRESIDENT EARL RUDDER (1959-1970), THE CITY AND UNIVERSITY GREW SIGNIFICANTLY. COLLEGE STATION CONTINUED TO GAIN NATIONAL PROMINENCE WHEN THE GEORGE H. W. BUSH PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM OPENED IN 1997. HISTORICALLY, THE LOCAL ECONOMY HAS BEEN BUOYED BY EDUCATION, HEALTH SERVICES, AGRICULTURE AND INDUSTRY. THE CITY OF COLLEGE STATION HAS FLOURISHED IN ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY, WITH THE POPULATION OF THE CITY NUMBERING 2,184 IN 1940 AND EXCEEDING 120,000 BY 2020.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the September 25, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

This podcast contains comments from the September 25, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

A majority of College Station city council members agree with demands from homeowners in the Pebble Creek neighborhood to not widen Pebble Creek Parkway and to not extend the roadway to the south to vehicular traffic.

Nearly 40 Pebble Creek homeowners were part of two hours of public comments at Thursday night’s (September 25) council meeting.

That was followed by a one hour council debate whether to extend Pebble Creek Parkway south to a proposed housing development and on to the Southern Pointe development.

Five of the seven council members agreed if Pebble Creek Parkway is extended, it would be limited only to non-vehicular traffic and to emergency vehicles.

All seven council members quickly agreed to not consider widening the road.

Both changes will require modifying College Station’s comprehensive plan. That process will take months and involve multiple meetings.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the city of College Station.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from Pebble Creek homeowner Kerry Roper.

Derika Bailey, Larry J. Ringer Library Branch Manager, visits with WTAW’s Scott DeLucia about upcoming reading events, the Pumpkin Decorating Contest, what she is reading, and more during her appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments from the September 23, 2025 Brazos County commission meeting.

Construction of Brazos County's medical examiner's office is at least three months behind schedule.

Commissioners at this week's meeting (September 23) unanimously extended the contract with the general contractor by 89 days and at a cost of $168,000 dollars.

The county's project manager, Trevor Lansdown, said it was their fault for letting construction start before having a consultant review design documents.

Click HERE to read and download background information about giving the general contractor an additional 89 days.

Click HERE to read and download the change order giving the general contractor 89 more days.

That was followed by a three to two vote to spend an additional $156,000 dollars to do daily inspections of the construction during the additional 89 day period.

Click HERE to read and download background information about the additional inspections.

Click HERE to read and download the contract amendment to add daily inspections.

Commissioner Fred Brown voted against the county paying the additional inspection charge because he said that should be paid by the general contractor. Joining Brown in voting no was Bentley Nettles.

Allison Kay, Planning Administrator and Historic Preservation Officer, and Barbara Coody, Historic Landmark Commission Member, visit with WTAW's Scott DeLucia about their roles with the city, the importance of historic preservation, the Holiday Porch Stroll, joining the Historic Landmark Commission, other historic organizations, and more during their appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments from the September 16, 2025 Bryan city council meeting.

The Bryan city council approves another voluntary annexation.

Land across Highway 21 from the RELLIS campus will be rezoned to accept a data center and commercial businesses.

The rezoning on property bordered by 21, OSR highway, and Fazzino Lane, would prohibit data centers involved in crypto mining.

Katie Williams of the city's planning and development office says multiple studies will have to be done before any construction starts.

Mayor Bobby Gutierrez said this could complement a data center under construction on the RELLIS campus and a possible second data center at RELLIS.

The mayor also said this could result in a realignment of the intersection of 21 and OSR.

Click HERE to read and download a summary from the city of Bryan.

Click HERE to read and download details of the voluntary annexation and zoning from the city of Bryan.

Click HERE to read and download the municipal services agreement associated with the voluntary annexation and zoning.

Click HERE to read and download maps and the ordinance associated with the voluntary annexation and zoning.

This podcast contains comments from the September 16, 2025 Blinn College trustees meeting.

Blinn College fall enrollment is so far at its third highest headcount ever. And that's with enrollment continuing for remaining four, eight, and 12 week classes.

That's part of the report given at Blinn trustees September 16th meeting.

Vice chancellor Becky McBride's report repeated the continuing theme of fewer students at the Bryan campus.

As of September 5th, headcount in Bryan is 4,665. That is a decrease of more than 400 from last fall and compares with more than 13,000 in the fall of 2014.

This fall's drop in Bryan is more than offset by increases in Brenham of 370 students and 452 more high school students taking dual credit classes.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the September 16, 2025 Blinn College trustees meeting.

This podcast contains comments from the August 29, 2025 Texas A&M faculty senate meeting.

November 1 was the target date for Texas A&M's new faculty advisory council.

This body, controlled by the board of regents and the president, was created by a new state law that eliminated A&M's faculty senate.

Among other things, Senate Bill 37 requires the president to appoint the leadership and some members of the new faculty advisory council.

The last speaker of the faculty senate, Andrew Klein, told WTAW News Wednesday (September 24) that "The next step will be to create a university rule that establishes the Faculty Advisory Council in compliance with the System Rule passed by the Regents at their August meeting and Senate Bill 37. Given the current administrative changes, it is unclear when the university will start the process to review the rule. Once the rule passes, new members of the committee would be appointed and elected. But at this point it is unclear when this would occur. So the brief answer is no appointments have been made as the rules establishing the new Council have yet to be established."

Click HERE to read and download Senate Bill 37.

Click HERE to read and download the Texas A&M system policy complying with SB 37 as passed by the board of regents August 28, 2025.

Click HERE to read and download a DRAFT of Texas A&M rules complying with SB 37.

The former faculty senate met for the last time on August 29th. The senate's final action was unanimous passage of a resolution regarding the transition to the new advisory council.

Click HERE to read and download the resolution that was approved at the August 29, 2025 Texas A&M faculty senate meeting.

Before the resolution, speaker Andrew Klein gave a presentation about the 43 years of the faculty senate's work and looked ahead to the new advisory council.

Click HERE to read and download Andrew Klein's presentation at the August 29, 2025 faculty senate meeting.

WTAW News has e-mail an A&M spokesperson about the process of establishing the faculty advisory council following the resignation of president Mark Welsh.